Cape Town mayor Helen Zille has easily dispatched of two rivals and will take the helm of the Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa's biggest opposition party. The DA emerged after the disintegration of the National Party and its various and tepid successors. As a consequence the DA drew some of its membership from Nats who […]
My colleague Bill Hewitt at the FPA Climate Change Blog has posted an overview of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) activities over the last week in Bangkok, Thailand. The bad news is no news: he isn't forecasting universally useful political agreement, with critical states dragging their feet (uh, that would be the U.S., […]
I am still studying agricultural policies for my follow-up on the Green Revolution, ignored–but in the meantime, a juxtaposition of two recent articles: A. IWPR reports that several cotton farmers are facing criminal charges for failing to cultivate cotton and growing fruits and vegetables instead–crops for which they can be paid in currency at market value. […]
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa visited Mexico this past week, calling on U.S. leaders to reform immigration laws and provide a permanent pathway to citizenship. The Mayor, who emphasized business ties along with his immigration message, met with President Felipe Calderon and addressed the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce. Villaraigosa, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, […]
Foreign investors, tourists, and FIFA (which organizes the World Cup) are three constituencies that South Africans fear will turn their backs on their country if crime and fears of crime (not the same thing) continue to dominate stories that emanate from South Africa. Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula is aware of the very real […]
Although it is hardly news that fears of crime in South Africa are “partly based on reality,” it is still worth pointing out that “Partly” implies that much of the fear of crime in South Africa is also overstated, at least to some degree. That is probably of little solace to those who have been […]
Xinhuanet reports that effective May 1, 2007, Uzbekistan's citizens may no longer purchase alcoholic beverages without a permit. New zoning restrictions have also gone into effect. The license may be purchased from local administrative departments. The measure is designed to protect public health. Failure to comply, the article states, will result in a fine and […]
I found this Central Asia album book in my favorite used bookstore. Original publishing date: Glasnost. Magown, Robin (text) and Gippenreiter, Vadim (photos). Fabled Cities of Central Asia: Samarkand-Bukhara-Khiva. New York: Abbeville Press, 1989. This is not the first old book I have become enchanted with, nor will it be the last. My all-time favorite […]
My first FPA “Great decisions Analysis,” a piece titled “South Africa's Regional Superpower Dilemma,” is now up and has also been linked on the FPA home page.
Well, at least we know that Robert Mugabe is nothing if not predictable. The sun will rise, the sun will set, and Mugabe's security state minions will crush dissent. In a Washington Post story based on a report by Human Rights Watch, the Washington Post reports that “Zimbabwean authorities have arrested, abducted and tortured hundreds […]
In March, I researched Dariga Nazarbaeva, Kazakhstan's media doyenne, and found out about the Eurasia Media Forum. I meant to post on this years’ minutes of this worthwhile conference, and even went looking for articles. I don't know why I couldn't find anything until now, but Ben Paarman over at neweurasia.net blog posted an excellent heads-up article on the […]
Pricewaterhouse report in English (word document) [no longer available] (I have been contacted by PwC who has asked that this be removed May 23, 2007) A few days ago, I wrote on Mark Seidenfeld's incarceration and delayed trial in Kazakhstan. In response, I received two lengthy comments and further research references from both commentators. Since […]
This from today's RFE/RL: After a two-day closed trial, journalist and human rights defender Umida Niyazova was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment yesterday. The trial had been postponed from its original April 19th date, with no reason given for the postponement. Freedom House, IREX, Pen International and Pen American Center, Human Rights Watch, and fidh.org […]
The Nordic African Studies community has always produced some of the most thoughtful, insightful and important work on Africa. Foremost amongst these organizations is the Nordiska Afrikainstitutet (The Nordic African Institute), which is based in Uppsala, Sweden. The Institute pulls together serious research and scholarship, policy discussion, and other work. The Institute produces a high […]
Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, met with Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Karim Massimov in order to discuss Kazakhstan's continuing progress on those very rights. Prime Minister Massimov noted that Kazakhstan has signed and ratified above forty important accords in the human rights sphere including international pacts for civil, political, economical, social, and cultural […]